While the nigthwatch sleeps, the caravan plods through an ever dimmer woodland, as the trees grow taller, and the canopy thicker. Clearings and rays of sunlight along the road are rare, and within the first hour, the what fey sounds are heard are all muted and distant. The caravan stops 3 times that day, clearing overgrowth and deadfalls along the rough and ill-kept road. Howls parallel the road every so often as if something follows the caravan, unnerving the guards.

Nonetheless, a marker is found left by Cannuth, and the caravan gets to a wide clearing bordered by several large boulders. Sitting only about 20 feet from the road’s southwestern edge, it provides enough space, good visibility, and a small spring nearby. Nonetheless, Boris and Dagolas inform the crew only to take dead wood for fires, and to keep the torches away from the trees and underbrush.

While the evening meal is hearty and flavorful, dinner is still subdued, the gloom and hush of the Weyrwood a pall on everyone’s moods. While the caravan settles down, the Nightwatch gets themselves in order, and sets up their patrol around camp for the evening.

The forest feels oppressive and confining in the dark of night, pressing against the torch ring of the camp. Deep in the middle of the night watch, Sid is the first one to hear it. A faint fluting sound in the distance across the barely moonlit road. He stops and listens, briefly feeling the desire to tap along with his foot, until Fhastranja comes around on her walk, and he asks if she can hear the music.

Just as Eryn comes around the curve of the camp, Fhas’ face takes on a blank expression, and she begins walking out of camp with a forceful stride toward the road, and the dark wood beyond. Eryn and Sid, both confused, move to catch up with Fhas, their darkvision keen enough to make out a figure dancing amidst the trees beyond the road. It seems to be the source of the flute music.

Sid grabs Fhas as she reached mid-road, holding her back, and trying to gain her attention…she stops, straining against the hold, as Bruegger comes around, and seeing the group in the road jogs over to find out what’s happening. At that point, driven by the power of the music, Fhas spins on Sid, and brings her magic to bear, screaming “FLEE!”…Sid, overwhelmed by the command, runs screaming down the road, gripped with terror, allowing Fhas to continue across the road toward the dancing flautist….

Eryn shouts for Dagolas, while Bruegger chases after Sid. When the dwarf comes around the corner of the last wagon, he squints, seems to see the figure in the forest, spits, “Fey magic! Catch them and keep them in sight, I’ll get Alcori!”, spinning and racing toward the mage-merchant’s wagon.

As the magic fades, Sid stops running, shakes his head, turns around, and begins running back toward Fhas and Eryn, right past Bruegger, who skids to a halt, shouting, “What is going on?”, before starting to run after Sid back toward the others.

Eryn takes to wolf form and keeps Fhas in sight, as the Tiefling begin dancing through the wood, the other figure skipping between the column-like trees and past underbrush, the tune picking up the pace. Though there is no singer, as Sid and Bruegger close in, they all swear they can hear a growling voice singing in time to the music. A silvery flicker is seen, and then the flautist is among them, a wicked scimitar in one hand while he plays the pipes with the other – curved and barbed horns spiraling from his head, eyes glowing red in the dark, his hooved feet adding a new beat to the song, as he spins past the group, his scimitar whirling amongst them.

The Satyr’s Song:

Enemies, Enemies, All Around,
Enemies, Enemies, Cut Them Down
Enemies Big and Enemies Small,
Enemies Short and Enemies Tall,
Listen to the Piper who sets the Pace,
Who reveals for you an enemies’ Face,
Enemies, Enemies, All Around,
Enemies, Enemies, Cut Them Down

The red-eyed satyr looks around and seems to settle on Eryn, his scimitar keening and growling as he strikes her, leaving icy, hateful wounds. Fhas, caught by the song’s enchantment follows his lead and begin attacking Eryn, while Sid and Bruegger try to get into position to strike at the devil’s piper.

Unfortunately, he proves at least as fast and nimble as Sid, dodging away and putting trees between himself and the nightwatch, each time Sid or Breugger gets into a position to make a strike. With skilled ease, his dodges bring him in orbits near Eryn, where he delivers more vicious blows which knock her out of animal form and back to elven, while the berserk Fhas continues to harry her own comrade.

Lights blossom from the camp, and the sound of a roused caravan spill into the woods, a singular white light leading the way. The satyr sees the end of his concert ending, gives Eryn a last parting strike and gambols off in to the night, the last flitting strains finally catching Bruegger, and causing him to square off against Sid.

In that last moment, Eryn stumbles and runs from Fhas toward the camp, but the cleric is still caught in the rage of the music, following the elf, and striking her down with her mace – her brutal and criminal early life driving the rage despite her growing friendship with Eryn.

A moment later, with Eryn still and bleeding on the forest floor, the rage fades, and Fhas screams, desperately hoping she can stabilize Eryn with her remaining healing, as Sid and Bruegger skid in the scene, and Alcori, Dagolas, and a half dozen of the old guard roll into the small clearing – a wand in Alcori’s hand shedding white gold light on the bloody scene.

The spell works, and Eryn coughs and shudders but breathes evenly.

“Get her into the medicine wagon. Franz, Casius, join night watch, and get the orc women up too, their sight will help.”

Dagolas hefts Eryn’s frail form without a noise, and the group retreats to the caravan. There, Fhas uses the remaining spells she has, sealing the worst of the icy, jagged wounds, repeating “I’m sorry.”

Eryn wraps the blankets around herself and curls up as small as she can, hiding and shivering. The others retreat and rejoin the now tense watch patrols.

Fhas makes a resolution to herself, and her goddess. She needs to be better. She needs to always know what is right. Always be good. She can’t let her past hurt the ones she cares about. Not again.

It was still out there. It’s fun was cut short. Everyone is sure it will be back. Especially Eryn.

If you don't ask now, he'll probably never answer...

Abbreviated Synposis:

With the sound from the gently glowing room suddenly and eerily stilled, Sidrin moves forward to investigate, but the phosphorescent glow of the fungus is everywhere, and the angry pulse of sigils carved into natural pillars around a underground spring offer no shadows – and he is confronted by 4 zombies, one a dwarf, all partially rotten and scavenger picked, and behind them a tall, muscular man with short tusks, and the red-rimmed eyes of a plague victim, a vicious axe in one hand, a shield with a single great eye emblazoned in the other, and a confident sneer on his face.

The zombies, seeing Sid roll in, fists flailing, but no sound erupts as he shouts, and the rest wait, his predicament unknown…Eryn as a panther pads forward into the unnatural silence to see the fight, and strikes at the zombies felling one, but not before the half orc turns his attention to her – a spell she cant hear him cast flows from his lips and he moves forward, striking with his axe, a furious red glow encompassing it as he strikes – leaving brutal wounds in its wake. Unsure, the rest of the group blunders into the silence and tries to act – but it confounds their coordination, and still Fhas’ prayers of turning while the half orc laughs silently. Cannuth fires arrows to try and slow the zombies, giving Sid a chance to backpedal, while a terribly wounded Eryn falls back. But the half-orc chants again, and this time the sound rushes back in, but a flowing jagged axe appears in the air and follows Eryn around the corner, harrying her and knocking her out of beast form.

Bruegger rushes forward to engage the enemy, but finds his defenses formidable. Fhas calls upon her Goddess, and the 3 human zombies flare and crumble to ash, while the dwarven zombie merely gurgles and lurches away from the tiefling. While the spiritual axe hounds Eryn, their enemy strikes at Bruegger, who dodges, but at the last second, divine intervention appears to shift the half-orc’s axe so that it strikes the halfling, the red glow howling back to life, and ripping into the halfling. Cannuth’s arrows fly while Fhas heals first Sid, and then moves to where she can see Eryn. Sid, so longer reeling from damage, strikes a solid blow against the villain, who grunts, and then dances away, jumping onto the rippling surface of one of a small waterfall fed pool by the caves wall. There he incants, and his wounds heal.

The spiritual axe continues to harras Eryn as Fhas heals her, Cannuth take up a position to fire on the Half orc, and Bruegger and Sid try to flank him – finding that the pool is thigh deep water, and does not in fact support them like it does the half orc. With the two adventurers floundering and slowed, the Cleric of Gruumsh strikes Sid viciously, and then…runs up the waterfall…to everyone’s consternation. Cannuth strikes him with two arrows, and his concentration falters, and the spiritual axe fades, letting Eryn finally get back in to the room to see what is going on.

Sid speed climbs the slick cavern wall and gets up to the cleric’s ledge, and suffers as the cleric casts again, and brutal, jagged wounds appear over Sid’s body – nearly dropping him. Bruegger begins the climb up the other side, while Fhas unstrings her bow, and Eryn summons a Flaming sphere onto the ledge. Unfortunately, the stream pouring out of the ledges back walls confounds the heat of the sphere, and the nimble orc dances away from it, though mist fills the alcove, giving Sid a moment to hide and poison one of his daggers. Fhas speaks a healing word to bolster Sid, as Breugger finally clambers up and engages the orc, who strikes the halfling hard, and then dances away. Waiting for Bruegger to cover the distance, Eryn maneuvers the Flaming sphere such that it covers the waterfall’s source, blocking the orc’s path for water walking while Sid and Bruegger flank him, and Cannuth scores another hit.

Maneuvering for position, Bruegger takes another hit from the Orc, and then gives it back. Sid strikes with one dagger, but misses with the poison, only to watch the cleric heal himself of some of his wounds again – those this time less – he IS weakening.

Bruegger surges toward the orc and lands several solid hits, giving Sid the opening to strike, driving the poisoned blade home – only to see the cleric not simply fall paralyzed, but fall dead, the dagger striking something vital.

There is a gurgling roar as the dwarf zombie suddenly stops cowering and rolls toward Cannuth, landing a couple hits before he can dodge away, and the party quickly puts it down. They loot the orc of it’s valuables, and pile it on the dwarf and the ashes of the other zombies. It becomes clear with a little study that the runes on the stalactite pillars are a focus for the plague, keeping its poison in the waters long after it should have naturally faded, with spiritual and magical calls to orcish gods for vengeance and retribution. Working together they are able to eventually shatter the pillars, breaking their magic, with only a few minor wounds and broken tools, though each feels the touch of plague upon them to different degrees by interacting with the pillars.

Nonetheless, the magic sigils shattered, and the diseased war priest vanquished, Fhas and Eryn can both discern that the source of the plague is undone. They decapitate the orc and bag it as proof of their victory, and begin the long journey up. In the furnace room, Sid, feeling underpaid for his trouble decides to loot the bodies of the miners who remain there…but lingers too long in the steaming rot of their bodies as the others wait outside the far end, and finally pitches forward as the plague takes him to unconsciousness.

The group rushes in and pulls him out, and not wanting the scene to repeat, forswear any more delays, heading for the surface dragging Sid’s unconscious body.

The next few days are spent in the old foreman’s house by the mine, given over to the Nightwatch while they recuperate. Eryn had flown in bird form to find the caravan where it had blockaded and defeated the encroaching hobgoblin force to the northwest to let them know of the success against the plague source, and then returned to the pass to rest up. While Sid slowly recovered from the plague with Fhas’ ministrations, each of the group took turns to wander town and find surviving merchants to purchase new gear from. Once Sid was up, the group went to check in with Alcori, presenting the loot they’d found for refusal as per their contract. Alcori took the necklace from the half-orc, noting that it would be returned to the town’s mayor, as it’s craftsmanship and the markings suggested a link to the town’s ruling family. Other than that, he took a vial of diseased blood Sid had taken from the giant weasel, and one of the spell scrolls they had found – leaving the rest to the group, and going on about his business with a smile on his face. When asked about why he’d decided to help the town, his response included his original pragmatic stance – a 250 miles of travel around the mountain spur into the heart of the Heldannic Territories was not an acceptable delay, but then also noted that there was a certain benefit to doing what was right, not just what was expected. Confused, the group retreated, except Sid…to whom Alcori spoke, “You have a question?” “No,” said Sid. “I’m in a good mood, now would be the time to ask,” said Alcori, still writing in a ledger without looking up. “No…no questions,” said Sid, and walked away.

The next days saw the group outfit themselves with better weapons and armor, refreshing herbalist’s kits and healer’s bags, and wandering about a partial ghost town, but one that was healing with the magically enforced plague fading – and despite their non-human natures, greeted warmly by the predominantly human and dwarven townsfolk – a new twist indeed for some of the group.

In an effort to continue skirting the main holds and taxed roads of the Heldannic Freeholds, the caravan made sure to take on extra supplies to support Alcori’s intent to take the older and untended Weyrwood Way, a old trade road that passed through an old growth forest and known haunt of fey creatures. Of worrisome note, the townsfolk said that travelers along it, peddlers, hill men, and free traders who used it had dwindled over the last couple of years with no clear account why – though some suggested that the reason was the push of the nearest Heldannic Feudal Lords who had long wished to annex the mining town.

Once all were healed, supplied, and rested, the caravan, saviors’ of Duvik’s Pass, headed out to cheers from the gathered surviving townsfolk. The day passed upon the road uneventfully, and the caravan set camp just past the fork in the road by the ruins of an old stone building, the dark line of the Weyrwood hunched closeby. Eryn couldn’t put her finger on it….but something about the wood seemed…off, even from short distance the caravan had stopped outside of it.

Things snuffled and growled out in the night during watch, but nothing approached close enough to be seen. After a hearty breakfast and the breaking of camp, the Nightwatch settled in to their wagon, as the caravan trundled into the eerily subdued and dim Weyrwood.

Brutal Combat and Moral Dilemmas

Abbreviated Synposis:

With an angry squeal the albino giant weasel pulls at something beside the door, and with a great fwumpf, flour sacks swing out from above the door, tearing open and making a great white cloud in the room. The group’s captive kobold continues to rock and hum as the giant weasel stalks through the white cloud, sniffing out Sid and trying repeatedly to savage him. However, luck is with Sid, and he dodges each time, while everyone brings to bear their attacks, finally killing the weasel.

The room beyond is nothing but a simple gear and food storage room for the miner’s kitchen. Looking at the kobold, they accuse him of misleading them. He denies nothing, he told them what they wanted to hear, accusing them of thinking themselves better than kobolds, but they killed his unconscious tribebrother in front of him, the mercy they offer is a lie. Sid slaps him. Bruegger is uncomfortable. Fhas and Eryn head back down the hall.

Bruegger checks to make sure the kobold is secure, and continues to bring him along, and it follows dejectedly.

Sid takes the lead and they begin exploring the other passage. Many smaller side passages break off it, but few tracks lead down them – they appear to be old lines of ore, long played out. Descending ever more, Sid finds what appears to be a hastily dug pit trap, covered by a rock dusted tarp.

Pointing it out to the group, he moves across the threshold into a large natural cavern, studded with crystal formations, flowstone, glittering lines of silver ore, and coated in a faintly phosphorescent fungi. Tracks leads across the cavern through the pale blue lichen, scattered footprints, signs of fighting, and also toward a wide mouthed tunnel, and to the far wall, where mining has occurred, leaving piles of rocky debris.

Fhas, Eryn & Cannuth skirt the pit and look for places to cross the cavern quietly, as Sid has already made it halfway across. As Bruegger moves forward, the kobold, screams and leaps into the pit, trying the drag Bruegger in by his guide rope. Bruegger lets go before he can be pulled off balance, and the captive’s scream is cut off by the sound of a brutal impact onto makeshift spikes at the pit’s bottom.

The sound of falling pebbles comes from the far side of the cavern, and everyone halts…any surprise they may have had is now gone.

With Fhas using her message cantrip to coordinate with Siddrin, the group gets into position behind stalagmite columns, and moves forward stealthily in an effort to get to the ledge at the back of the cave without being targeted by the remaining kobolds they assume are there. Fhas is not particularly quiet, and despite their best efforts, kobold crossbowmen are ready – and a stinging hail of bolts rips into the group, Cannuth waits at the back for a shot, as the kobolds remain well hidden.

While Sid tries to climb to the ledge, Eryn turns the tables by summoning a flaming sphere, roasting several of the enemy, giving Cannuth the light to target several enemies, and causing a flurry of harsh barking commands, flapping feet, and a thump sound.

When Sid finally gets up onto the ledge, all that remains are a few arrowed and crisped kobold bodies, but clearly not enough to account for the crossbow volleys, and no obvious exits.

The rest of the group catches up, with Cannuth staying below and hidden, watching the other tunnel out of the cavern, in anticipation of an ambush.

With focused effort, they discover a hidden door made of convincingly draped and rock-dusted canvas over a makeshift wooden door crudely hinged into the walls. Ready for anything, Bruegger kicks in the flimsy excuse for a barrier, and suffers a withering fusillade of crossbow bolts.
Despite this, the group rolls in and kills off the remaining kobold warriors, knocking their leader, a shaman of some sort, unconscious.

The small redoubt has looted sleeping bags, tainted food, and mining tools. Several bags of silver and iron ore are stacked against the back, and that’s when they notice the whimpering: 3 small kobold children hiding under a cloak, clearly also infected with the Burning Plague.

Sid moves to kill them in cold blood, but a heated discussion erupts among the group. None to pleased at leaving what he considers vermin alive, Sid nonetheless stays his hand, and the group trusses up the shaman in an effort to interrogate him.

Fhas, able to speak draconic, acts as the interrogator, as the group has a side conversation in common in front of the vicious humanoid leader. When one to many pointed suggestion are made about how to proceed in common, the kobold reveals that he is considerably smarter than his tribemembers, and speaking common, calls out his captors’ less than moral suggestions, and pointing out the folly of thinking he’s stupid enough to do anything aggressive while trussed and outnumbered.

The shaman is clearly cunning and pragmatic, and filled with hatred toward the group, but engages them verbally on their own terms. When an attempt to bribe him for information occurs, he points out that they are trying to buy his loyalty with the very coin they have already looted from his belt. Being verbally outmaneuvered by a kobold is a rather humbling moment.

In the end, however, the shaman gives them the information they seek, in exchange for free passage out with the young, with food and weapons, since there are very few other bits of leverage he possesses. When Sid makes it clear that he thinks the shaman will stab them in the back, the shaman makes it clear that he won’t – certainly not now, and not with the resources at his disposal, swearing by Kurtulmak. But also swearing that if he ever runs into any of them again, alone, and unprotected, he will gladly cut them down, and sacrifice their hearts to Kurtulmak.

With that, the shaman informs them that the demon from below has stolen the bodies of miners and kobolds. Beyond a hot room full of corpses, winding old water tunnels lead to the deeps where the demon chants and often screams or roars. The shaman will head that way, and retreat through smaller old water tunnels away toward the shattered tribe he and his fled from in an effort to escape the plague. His part done, he and the young exist the cave via the other downward angling cave.

Wounded, but not completely without resources, the group give the kobold some time to get ahead, then follow into the deep earth passage, warm, brimstone smelling air rising to great them. Finally sweating profusely, they come upon a room where the bodies, of miners, kobolds, and rats are scattered about, sulfurous vents in the walls and floor emitting hot, foul air.

The passage continues down on the other side of the small chamber, and in an effort to help Sid explore for safety, Fhas casts sanctuary upon him, and he sneaks into the room, examining the bodies as he crosses. That movement of a corpses body and clothes wakes four of the corpses to animation, and the zombies stumble upright from their sleep. Luck is not with Sid, and three of the undead beasts see him, while one shambles away toward the rest of the group in the corridor.

Sid is pummeled mercilessly by the zombies, driven to the ground, while Bruegger takes a thumping from the loner, but gives back as good as he gets, dropping the beast. Eryn moves in to the room, as does Fhas. Fhas call upon her Goddess, and 2 or the remaining zombies are blasted to dust. Eryn strikes the last one, but her staff does little to it. Cannuth and the rest pile in, but not before the zombie can bludgeon Eryn soundly.

The group, injured and out of breath, notices that Sid has the look of having caught the plague, and Eryn and Fhas feel off. Gathering themselves up, the retreat as quickly as they can up the passage back to the glittering cavern. There they catch their breath, and find a comfortable spot to try and shake off their fatigue and lesser injuries.

As they wait and rest, about halfway through, there is a mighty echoing below from the descending passage. They all grip their weapons…but as the minutes pass, no greater threat shows itself.

With the rest under their belts, knowing the Alcori and the caravan are fighting the hobgoblins out on the mountains, they forge back down the passage.

Back in the sulfurous charnel room, they notice that one of the bodies, that of a dwarven miner, is missing, drag marks in the dust leading down.

The next 30 minutes are spent traversing a winding array of limestone tunnels, bored in the store in the past by water. If the shaman had not given them the signs to follow, they could’ve been hopelessly lost for hours or more. Halfway through, they hear the sounds of falling and gurgling water, the other sign given by the shaman, and past one last turn, they can see pale fungal light glittering and reflecting up the damp walled, cool tunnel walls.

A clear bend ahead of them clearly doubles back into a greater chamber they can’t yet see.

And that is when suddenly all sound of rushing water from around that bend utterly stops. The only sounds they hear are their breathing, their heartbeats, and the creaking of their gear.

Comeuppance is spicy...

Abbreviated summary:

Bruegger stumbles over introductions to an angry wizard lady, but with her husband safe, she is willing to listen without smiting. Once it becomes clear to her who the invader was, and how it entered the warded cottage, she focuses properly on thanking the group. The golem, cooling off, but preserved by it’s animating magic, provides a free repast while Cannuth explains their errand. Sid refuses to eat his defeated enemy.

The group packs up after a short rest, and heads back to join up with the caravan with foodstuffs bearing preservation and flavor enchantments.

The next couple of days fall back into a normal rhythm.

Stopped for the evening, the food line is interrupted by one of the guardsmen pushing people aside to call Bruegger a “Pech” for shorting him of his biscuit with dinner. The bodies pushed stumble, and even Sid is jostled into another person. That person shoves back, calling Sid “Nightears” and an altercation looks to be in order, when Bloodjaw demands the first guard, Franz, back off. Sid stands down rather than acting rashly and picks his stew bowl back up…Bloodjaw sniffs the food of the chow line, but finds nothing, looking around suspiciously.

Once Sid tucks into his dinner, there is a moment of enjoyment of the somewhat more flavorful stew, followed by coughing, vomiting, and crying, as it feels like someone poured napalm in his mouth. Fhas tries to help, screaming that it’s poison, and Bloodjaw intervenes, as the entire caravan looks suspiciously at their dinners, dragging Fhas and Sid to the nightwagon.

There, sniffing Sid, he can tell he has eaten a blister pepper, probably picked, since it’s not from the local parts, and probably snuck only into Sid’s food during the disruption in the chow line. Fhas mixes a curative which calms the raging fire, though Sid’s stomach feels unhappy. Bloodjaw makes it clear that there is no poison in the food, and the guards finish eating. Eryn, watching it all, notes that one group of old hand guards never stops eating, and that Boris is nowhere to be seen. When Side returns to the main camp, Franz, the guard who started the disturbance, happily eating his stew, looks right at Sid and gives a little salute. All the guards with him seem to chuckle from Eryn’s point of view.

Bruegger pockets a vial of pickled cooking lard in case he finds an opportunity to avenge himself for being called Pech.

A few days later, during chowtime, Sid attempts to convince several newer guards about there being some great desserts at the chowwagon, so he can get closer to a wagon to continue his investigation of the suspicious elements of Alcori’s wagon. While the guards think he’s being extra strange, and not that there is a sudden set of wildly tasty dessert biscuits, they do move on in an effort to be away from the strange drow elf.

One of these guards, a wiry moustached fighter, uses Sid’s odd behavior to strike up a conversation with Fhas, eventually making it clear (though not suavely) that he is interested in her as a bunkmate, but is quickly rebuffed by the tiefling.

Sid learns little, and is pretty sure that trying to open the few shuttered windows on Alcori’s traveling wagon in order to get the paralyzation removal wand would be nearly impossible.

Cannuth returns the next day from an extended scout, revealing a series of problems: the town along their path with is the only pass through an out thrust of the mountains for about 150 miles appears to be wracked with a plague, and worse, it’s clear that hobgoblin scouts from further up the mountains have become aware of it, and a force of warriors is likely heading to the mining town to sack it.

Alcori makes plain for the entire caravan their plans: going 150 miles SE deep into the Heldannic lands is not an option for the caravan’s schedule, but passing through or restocking in a plague town isn’t going to solve any problems, and neither is being hounded by or blocked by hobgoblins. However, Cannuth’s report of the nature of the plague from the mayor and priest of the town has lead Alcori to surmise that it is magical in nature, and can be ended quickly if the source is found and snuffed out. Divinatory magic suggests it is within the main mine of the mountain town.

With that, the plan is explained, Cannuth and Night Watch will go to Duvik’s Pass, offering their assistance to explore the mine and snuff out the plague’s magical source, explaining that the rest of the caravan, having discovered a hobgoblin force approaching, will delay or distract them before retreating to reinforce the town.

There are some grumbles, but Alcori reminds them of their contracts, and the generous pay they are receiving, and the guards quiet down.

Cannuth and the Nightwatch head out on a hard ride to get to Duvik’s Pass before nightfall. Halfway there, Cannuth falls from his horse, clearly infected by the burning plague. Fhas and Eryn work together to restore him, and Fhas makes a drink from her healer supplies to help everyone resist more exposure to it.

There is alarm and consternation at the walled gate at the revelation of two dark skinned elves in Cannuth’s party on his return, but some diplomatic words later, and the group is let in, and led to the mine.

Descending into the mine shows them brutally murdered miners, and the footprints of kobolds. Finding a storeroom/cookroom with kobolds on the other side of it’s door, the group sets up, and makes sounds to draw the kobolds out into an ambush. Most are killed, and a couple knocked out. One is tied up and interrogated, while Sid kills the other unconscious one in front of it.

The kobold suggests that the shaman is beyond the other door in the cookroom, and the group enter, finds the door locked, unlocks it, and then takes up ambush positions, and opens the door without standing right in front of it.

There is a squeal, and a 6’ long albino dire weasel drops from the shelves in the revealed room into the doorway, baring it’s teeth…

Heroism, Selfishness, Antagonism, and Trickery...

Screaming varguoille incapacitates the entire party except Eryn, who defeats the demon single-handedly.

Rooms are explored, traps found (some the hard way), loot acquired.

Hobgoblins met, fought, and killed. Dagolas makes his presence known by dropping a hobgoblin into the dungeon through a well-shaft.

A rope is secured to allow entry and exit via the well.

More exploration…a webbed passage and a tomb.

The party engages, turns, steals from, and irritates a champion bugbear zombie, while Dagolas stabs a translucent hunting spider.

Victory is achieved.

The group is able to climb out, go around, and open the great entrance shortly before the caravan arrives.

The caravan tucks in and cleans out the remnants of the tomb with info from the Nightwatch group, who have a chat with Alcori, revealing what they found in terms of valuables, from which he takes his cut as per the contract, leaving the magical paraphenalia to the group.

Later, while most of the caravan sleeps, there is a scream from other guards who have taken night shift, and rushing to investigate, the group finds an ochre slime already consuming one guardsman, and another flailing desperately with his blade. The group tells him not to attack, but doesn’t explain why, and panicked the guard continues to swing. Sid vaults over, knocking the guard unconscious next to the hungry predator, which promptly begins consuming the hapless man, though no witnesses except the group proper see this.

Other guards arrive and assist in the killing of the ooze.

Dagolas arrives, and lack of tact and direction of insults, puts Sid at odds with one of the guard captains of the old guard contingent.

Dagolas separates folks before restoring organization. Bodies are removed. Squad leaders have a closed discussion with Alcori, though Sid listens in despite having been ordered to dispose of bodies.

Dagolas notices, and send him to the night wagon without alerting others. There Dagolas makes clear his loyalties and what he expects of members of the caravan guard, and the limits to which appeals can be made.

The group notices that the offended guard, Boris, has a strong coterie of friends among the older contingent of guards.

With the storm abated the next day, the caravan moves on. A few days later without incident, the Nightwatch is tasked with an early task, and heads out with Cannuth to a known local resident to barter for additional supplies (since the original freehold they were to take on supplies at was sacked).

Arriving at the strangely lit and undefended cottage in the small woodland, the group advances cautiously. When attempts at communication are made, the querulous voice of an old woman, clearly absent-minded, invites them in…

Stepping in, they are assaulted by a demonic imp, who disappears and flies away, and by an animated fireplace poker. A running battle with the Imp occurs through the cottage, into a wrecked kitchen with a wedged shut cellar door. A tortured and bound man in the bedroom across from the kitchen makes muffled sounds through his gag.

With the Imp dispatched, some go to free him, while others go to the pantry door to free whoever is trapped within. Too late, the man, ungagged, shouts not to open the door, as “Cal” has gone mad…

And with a ragged bubbling roar, the crusty bread-like golem rushes out of the newly opened door and assaults the group with it’s pungent garlic and warm bread smell – right before pummeling them with it’s massive doughy fists.

Piercing and slashing weapons splash steaming hot sauce and cheese from within the baked golem on to his opponents, the crazed animated calzone attempting to crush them all. Finally, a double frying pan backstrike puts serves up the gourmet golem.

As the group looks at their defeated foe incredulously, the front door slams open, and a angry woman’s voice and the sound of crackling lightning are heard, calling out a man’s name.